Chicken Enchiladas

There was a slight mishap with regards to this recipe, but I'll tell you the story later...first, the recipe:

Chicken Enchiladas

6 to 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 packet taco seasoning mix (I use Old El Passo Mild)
1 can (16 oz.) diced tomatoes
water

flour tortillas
cheddar cheese
enchilada sauce

Cut up the chicken thighs into small pieces, but remember, it will pretty much end up shredded after cooking, so you don't have to be too meticulous.

Slice up the onion and put it into the pressure cooker with the chicken; you can brown it a little first, if you choose.

Add the tomatoes and the seasoning packet and give it a good stir. Add enough water to cover the meat, then put on burner over medium heat until it begins to boil. Put lid on pressure cooker and set your timer for 30 minutes.

When the chicken is done, drain and reserve the water. (you can make some instant rice with the liquid from the chicken.) Fill individual flour tortillas with your preferred amount of meat and cheese. Roll up and place, seam-side down, in a baking dish. Repeat until you've used up your tortillas—the number will depend on what size tortilla you chose, and how full you've made them.

Pour the enchilada sauce (and some more cheese, if you'd like) over the top and bake at 350° for about 25-35 minutes, or until the edges are bubbly.


Serve with sour cream and guacamole, or whatever your favorite accompaniments are.





BAD REACTION:
I mistakenly put *medium* sauce on the enchiladas, because that’s what Casey had bought, and neither one of us had looked closely at the label. For those of you who don't know me, I have a few food allergies, and any type of pepper can cause a reaction, sometimes severe. Sauces usually don't bother me too much, but I stay away from anything that is spicy-hot.

So, dinner was ready and Casey started eating first, and he says to me, “this enchilada sauce is HOT!” So I nibbled a little bit, and it was kinda warm, so I took another tiny bite...and my top lip started to BURN!

At the time I was drinking some Diet Cherry Coke, so I just kept my lip in the glass where the ice cubes were, but it still hurt. I looked like I had Hollywood Starlet Lips! 



While keeping the glass of cold pop to my mouth, I also decided it might be a good idea to take a Benadryl…just in case.

Not sure if it was the ice or the medicine, but it quit hurting and the swelling went away. Casey did some ‘food surgery’ on the enchiladas and took out the 'uncontaminated' chicken so we could put it on a new tortilla for me. So I didn’t miss dinner after all. But what an adventure! Yikes!

Iroquois Stew

This is a re-post, but I have a bunch of new photos, so I wanted to share them with you. Plus, I made mashed potatoes using buttermilk, and they were spectacular!

Iroquois Stew

1 lb. round steak, cubed
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
1 lb. pork loin roast, cubed
2 T. cooking oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 c. baby carrots
2 stalks celery
2 c. chicken broth
1 beef bouillon cube
1/4 t. ground allspice
2 bay leaves

Heat oil in pressure cooker (no lid); add onion and cook until it turns opaque.

Next brown pork and beef in oil (with lid off)...


Add chicken...


Add carrots, celery, allspice, bouillon, and bay leaves...

Add chicken broth and enough water (if needed) to cover meat, but do not fill pressure cooker more than 2/3 full.

With heat on medium, bring contents to a low boil.

Put lid on pressure cooker and heat to bring up pressure. Allow to cook for 35 to 45 minutes at full pressure.
At end of time, turn off heat and carefully move pot to sink for a quick-cool in cold water. (i.e. set it in an empty sink and run cold water over it until pressure releases.)
Move pot to stove and carefully remove lid. Stir the stew gently to break up the meat a little.

Find and pick out those bay leaves!

I like to serve this over mashed potatoes, or over a nice big baked potato—it makes a lovely impression on the plate.


Mashed Potatoes with buttermilk and cheddar...


NOTES: Using the pressure cooker results in the best blending of flavors, in my opinion. But, you can make it in a Dutch oven, or crock pot, if you would rather. DO NOT add garlic to this recipe—it will come out bitter.

Chop Suey in the Pressure Cooker

This was one of my favorite meals that my mom used to make semi-regularly. I still love it for its taste and simplicity.

Chop Suey in the Pressure Cooker

1 round steak (about 1.5 to 2 pounds)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, minced
1 T. oil
2 to 3 T. soy sauce
2 c. (approximately) water
2 T. cornstarch + 1/4 c. water (for thickening it later)

1. Cut steak into small cubes—it will break up after cooking, but being in smaller pieces will help when browning the meat.
2. Put oil, onions and celery in pressure cooker pot and brown over medium-high heat. Add meat to brown as well.
3. Add soy sauce and enough water to just barely cover the meat. DO NOT fill pressure cooker more than 2/3 full. DO NOT put cornstarch in your pressure cooker, either. That's for later.
4. Bring to a boil and put lid on pressure cooker, sealing it.
5. Heat to full pressure and cook at least 30 minutes.
6. Carefully remove pot from heat, and cool in sink with cold water until pressure seal releases. Remove lid and set it aside.
7. Place pot, without the lid, back on stove over medium heat to bring to a boil again.
8. In measuring cup mix together 2 T. cornstarch + 1/4 c. water, and keep stirring it until you are ready to add it. Once you see some bubbles in the liquid in the pot, add the cornstarch mixture all at once, and stir the pot quickly.
   
9. Allow to thicken over heat, then serve the chop suey over rice.

BBQ Pork

I made this a few weeks ago, and just had not written up the recipe. Then I couldn't remember what I'd done. This is my best recollection of how it went. For some reason, I was afraid the sugar in the BBQ sauce would make my pressure cooker explode, so I added it after cooking the meat.

BBQ Pork in the pressure cooker

1 pork tenderloin, cut into cubes
salt (to season the meat)
2 c. baby carrots
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 T. olive oil
4 cloves garlic pressed/minced
1/2 c. barbecue sauce

1. Brown onion and celery in pan with olive oil.
2. Add lightly salted meat and sear/brown for a few minutes. Add garlic and stir swiftly; drop in carrots.
3. Fill pot with enough water to just cover the meat, and turn up heat.
4. Bring to a boil, then place lid on pressure cooker. Bring up to pressure and allow to cook for 35-45 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, cool pot under running water until seal releases. Return pot to stove.
6. Open lid carefully and stir contents. Mix in BBQ sauce and break up chunks of meat with spoon.
7. Serve over rice, or on a hoagie roll.

Beef Roast in the Pressure Cooker

This is one of my favorite meals. It was last night's dinner and tonight's leftovers. If you don't own a pressure cooker, you really ought to get one; it makes roasts foolproof.

Pot Roast in the Pressure Cooker

2 lbs. English, shoulder or pot roast (your choice)
2 T. olive oil
4 or 5 red potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 medium sweet onion, cut into wedges
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 t. sweet marjoram
2 bay leaves
4 to 5 c. water

1. Brown meat in olive oil in pressure cooker (without lid); turn to brown on several sides. Add onions and give them a stir—you can allow them to brown a bit, if you'd like.
2. Add the other ingredients. Bring to a boil with the lid off, then slap lid on, seal and bring to pressure.
3. Allow to cook for 30-45 minutes, depending on how thick your cut of meat might be.
4. At end of cook time, turn heat off and carefully remove pot to empty sink. Douse with cold water until pressure comes down and it is safe to take lid off. Move back to stove and remove lid from pressure cooker.
5. Place meat on cutting board and allow to rest for a few minutes before slicing.

NOTE: I scoop out the 'taters and make gravy with the leftover broth; just add 2 T. cornstarch to 1/4 cup of cold water, stir it well, and add back into pot over medium heat. Cook until thickened.

Pom Pork Roast

I made this really awesome dinner Wednesday night. I had been thinking of a twist on the typical "Pork Chops and Apple Sauce" (now, everybody say it like Peter Brady! LOL!) and I wanted to incorporate pomegranate juice. So I bought a pork loin roast and a bottle of PomWonderful, and this is what resulted:

Pork Roast with Pomegranate Juice

1 (2 to 2.5 lb) pork loin roast, sliced into chunks
1/2 a Vidalia onion, quartered or cut into chunks
1 granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 c. baby carrots
3/4 c. dried cherries (about 2 handfuls)
1 beef bouillon cube
1 chicken bouillon cube
4 c. water
10 oz. pomegranate juice (I used PomWonderful)
1/4 t. allspice

1. Brown meat in pressure cooker (lid off) in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add onion and brown a little more for flavor.
2. Add pomegranate juice, apple, carrots, and cherries.
   
3. Add water and bouillon cubes.
4. Bring to a boil and slap lid on.
5. When it reaches full pressure, set a timer for 45 minutes.
6. Carefully move pot using oven mitts; set in empty sink and run cold water over pot (I use the sprayer) until pressure releases.
7. Move pot back to stove and remove lid. Stir a little to break up chunks of meat.
8. Serve over noodles or rice.

NOTES: The dried cherries were a last-minute decision before I put the lid on the pressure cooker. I had intended on using dried cranberries, but I had eaten the last of them while watching a hockey game a few days prior, so the cherries were actually a substitute. When cooked, the dried cherries plumped back up and added great visual interest as well as just the right flavor. The apple will completely disintegrate, as will the onion, mostly. The meat will be incredibly tender, and you will totally love this dish.

Hearty Meat Stew

Yeah, okay, I know I said before that I'm of Apache ancestry, but this recipe is borrowed from our fellow Native Americans, the Iroquois. I had found it online somewhere about ten years ago, and have made versions of it a couple of times because I like to tinker with recipes. The allspice is a necessity, however.

Iroquois Stew

1 lb. chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
1 lb. boneless pork roast, cut into 1-inch chunks
4 T. cooking oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
1 c. baby carrots
2 bouillon cubes; one beef, one chicken
1/4 t. ground allspice
2 bay leaves

1. Heat 1 T. oil n pressure cooker (no lid). Brown meats in oil (with lid off), beginning with pork as one batch; remove from pan and set aside.
2. Next, add more oil and brown beef as second batch; then, chicken as last batch. (you're only browning each meat separately to conserve space and to use the heat effectively; they will be mixed in together a few steps later.)
3. Add more oil to pan and brown onions.
4. Return meats to onions in pan, and add carrots, celery, allspice, bay leaves and bouillon.
5. Add enough water to cover meat, but do not fill pressure cooker more than 2/3 full.
6. With heat on medium, bring contents to a low boil.
7. Put lid on pressure cooker and heat to bring up pressure. Allow to cook for 35 to 45 minutes at full pressure.
8. At end of time, turn off heat and carefully move pot to sink for a quick-cool in cold water. (i.e. set it in an empty sink and run cold water over it until pressure releases.)
9. Move pot to stove and carefully remove lid. Stir the stew gently to break up the meat a little.
10. Find and pick out those bay leaves!
11. I like to serve this over mashed potatoes, or over a nice big baked potato—it makes a lovely impression on the plate. I made this discovery when I ran out of room in the pressure cooker and could not add potatoes directly to the stew.
    

NOTES: Using the pressure cooker results in the best blending of flavors, in my opinion. But, you can make it in a Dutch oven, or crock pot, if you would rather. DO NOT add garlic to this recipe—it will come out bitter.